December 2013 AMUSEMENT TODAY 1 DECEMBER 2013 • VOL. 17, ISSUE 9 VOL. DECEMBER 2013 • SUBSCRIBE TO Extra! Extra! Daily Edition Dated material. material. Dated AMUSEMENT TODAY RUSH! Get FREE news delivered to NEWSPAPER POSTMASTER: PLEASE 18, 2013 Nov. Mailed Monday, (817) 460-7220 your inbox EVERY DAY! PERMIT # 2069 # PERMIT FT. WORTH TX WORTH FT. com PAID amusementtoday Sign up now at: US POSTAGE US PRSRT STD PRSRT www.amusementtoday.com 2 AMUSEMENT TODAY December 2013 NEWSTALK OPINIONS CARTOON LETTERS AT CONTACTS EDITORIAL: Gary Slade, [email protected] CARTOON: Bubba Flint Tidbits This issue of Amusement Today marks the 17th edition of our Annual Holiday Cooking Guide. For this year we thought it would be nice to theme the guide to our annual Golden Ticket Awards. On page 4, recipes can be found from Slade our Best Food winners, a tie between Knoebels Amusement Resort and Dollywood. Also included is our 2013 Host Park, Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk and SeaWorld San Diego who will host in 2014. While on the subject of Golden Tickets, AT has now posted three photo galleries from our 2013 GTA event at SCBB, on www.GoldenTicketAwards.com. Look under the tab “2013 Event,” and be sure to check out the bowling event photos! • Thanks again to both Andrew Mellor and Pam Sherborne for their work on giving us a small sampling of what some parks are doing for this upcoming Christmas season. See pages 6-7 and 11-13. Just as AT was going to press we learned that Cliff’s Amusement Park in EDITORIAL: Scott Rutherford, [email protected] Albuquerque, N.M. is kicking off their first-ever holiday event called Cliff’s Magical Christmas. Farewell 2013 • Some in the amusement the Rapids and a rider ejection on the New When Superstorm Sandy hit the New Jersey shore industry might consider the Texas Giant at Six Flags Over Texas. Both drew and other parts of the East coast in Oct. 2012, it caused number 13 — and by asso- plenty of media attention, especially the lat- AT to shuffle our December issue editorial plans in order ciation, the year 2013 — to ter incident, which also raised concerns about to get the late-breaking news in. Two of the items pulled be unlucky. After all, when how to deal some riders’ physical dimensions. to make room for Sandy editorial was our annual Page 1 this year dawned nearly 12 Yes, there were negative incidents but Christmas cartoon as well as our page 2 cartoon. After months ago, many parks in the there were far more bright spots in 2013 than pulling both cartoons out of the unused file, we thought Rutherford northeastern U.S. were deal- not. Personally, I finished another book – both were still worthy of running in this issue. We hope ing with the destruction left Images of America’s Carowinds for that south- you enjoy both, better late than never! by Superstorm Sandy. Over a year later, some ern themer’s 40th anniversary. It was written at • properties still find themselves in recovery a breakneck pace last December and January From the entire staff of Amusement Today, we wish mode. And, of course, there was the devastat- but I’m happy with the result. But one of the everyone a happy and safe holiday season. We hope you ing September fire that roared through the most amazing things for me was being there remains of FunTown Pier on the Jersey shore. to witness and be part of the grand opening find time to not only relax a little, but to enjoy the company Not only did it destroy businesses but flames of Knoebels’ Flying Turns. After so much work and stories family members have to tell. It seems life is devoured sections of the iconic boardwalk and effort, it was a real treat to see many of my passing us by at “warp speed” these days, so take time that had just been rebuilt. friends and the Knoebel family recognized for this upcoming holiday break to slown down and enjoy at Then there was a string of ride-related their indomitable spirit and will to make this a little slower pace. incidents on the traveling show circuit includ- historic recreation a viable and exciting ride. Our good friend Tom Rebbie at PTC always writes, ing a recent one at the North Carolina State Yes, the 2013 season was one of ups and “Have Fun, Be Safe.” With that, we add industry Fair that left riders and an operator injured. downs. But isn’t that exactly what we expect photojournalist Dan Feicht’s love of “Eat more pie!” But it was two high-profile ride accidents that in this wonderful and crazy business? Here’s to Ahh. I smell that slice of pie calling me now... grabbed the majority of the negative head- saying farewell to 2013. Merry Christmas and —Gary Slade lines: Cedar Point’s boat flipping on the Shoot Happy New Year to one and all. AMUSEMENT TODAY STAFF Gary Slade, Founder Dean Lamanna Sammy Piccola Publisher and Editor-in-Chief Editorial Accounting / Circulation [email protected] [email protected] (817) 460-7220 [email protected] Deliveries Member of: Stacey Childress / Childress Media Pam Sherborne 2012 E. Randol Mill Rd., Suite 203 IAAPA, AIMS International, PAPA, Web & Graphic Design Editorial Sue Nichols Arlington, Texas 76011 NEAAPA, NJAA, OABA, WWA, TTIA, [email protected] [email protected] Advertising NAARSO and IISF (615) 662-0252 Subscription rates are: 1 year (14 issues) $75 in the USA; $100 elsewhere; 2 years (28 issues) $140/$180; John Robinson / W.H.R. Inc. Scott Rutherford [email protected] 3 years (42 issues) $200/$250. Send check or money order (U.S. funds only, drawn on a U.S. bank) to Amusement Today, P.O. Box 5427, Arlington, Texas 76005-5427. Your cancelled check is your receipt. Daily E-mail Newsletter Editorial Please allow up to six weeks for your subscription request to be processed and the first issue mailed. [email protected] [email protected] Bubba Flint Cartoonist Amusement Today is an independent newspaper, published monthly by Amusement Today Inc., P.O. Tim Baldwin Jeffrey L. Seifert [email protected] Box 5427, Arlington, Texas 76005. Presort Standard Postage (Permit No. 2069) pre-paid at Fort Worth, Texas. The entire contents of this newspaper and its related websites are copyrighted and trademarked Editorial Editorial / Special Projects by Amusement Today 2013, with all rights reserved. [email protected] [email protected] POSTMASTER: Please send address changes to Amusement Today, P.O. Box 5427, Arlington, Texas Contributors: Dan Feicht, Ron Gustafson, Andrew Mellor, Richard Munch, Janice Witherow, WHR Inc. 76005-5427. December 2013 AMUSEMENT TODAY 3 THIS MONTH IN HISTORY •1905: In mid-December F. Presented by MINUTE W. Henniger and T. M. Har- ton announced the forma- 2 DRILL tion of a new park outside COMPILED: Janice Witherow Pittsburgh. The 30-acre Stefan Doomanis, Dynamic Advantage West View Park in West View, Pennsylvania, opened www.RollerCoasterMuseum.org Stefan Doomanis grew up in May 1906, at a cost of in the customer research $250,000. The highlight was and retention industry, tag- a large Figure Eight (the park’s popular Dips would open ging along with his father in 1909). Theodore M. Harton passed away in 1919, and on jobs as a child. He started his first business in while his family owned the park for the entire 71 year run, high school and joined his they would eventually sell the property for commercial de- family’s corporation of Dy- velopment in 1980. namic Advantage in 1994. Today, as president, Stefan •1905: As advertised in the nation’s newspapers in early is the visionary behind December, there was great interest in amusement park each unique customer-cen- toys. Beside the typical submarines and warships, Loop- tric “mystery shopping” the Loops and Scenic Railways were the principal nov- experience integral to the company’s success. He elties in the toy market for the Christmas season. Many has extensive experience Stefan and his son Pete, clown around in matching Batman stores filled their display windows with these wonderful in multi-national and multi- shirts while enjoying some quality father-son time. Spend- items, made of tin, where children of all ages dreamed of location customer retention ing time with his family is one of Stefan’s favorite things to possessing. Today these extremely rare toys have become programming, competitive do when not working on his mystery-shopping enterprise. highly sought after collector items, selling for hundreds of intelligence and customer COURTESY STEFAN DOOMANIS FAMILY dollars. experience consulting. He sits on the board of the Mystery Shopping Pro- If you could have three movies in your •1914: In mid-December, Louis Berni, of Golden City, viders Association, as well as several charitable collection, what would they be? boards. When not hard at work, Stefan enjoys “Harold and Maude”; “It Happened One announced plans to build a new Philadelphia Toboggan vintage sports cars, family and friends. Night”; and “Monty Python & The Holy Grail.” Company wooden roller coaster for the 1915 season. The Brooklyn, New York amusement center located in Canarsie, Title What do you notice first when meeting which for several years competed with both Rockaway and President. someone? Coney Island, was essentially land-locked. To get around If they make eye contact. this, Berni, who was a musician by trade, purchased the Number of years in the park’s 1907 Scenic Railway and removed it to make room industry If you could invite one famous (living) 18. person to dinner, who would it be? for the new ride, erecting what he called a larger and bet- David Bowie.